Frangipane Tart

The Frangipane Tart is a classic, rich, and delicious dessert with a shortcrust pastry base and a filling of frangipane cream, made with butter, sugar, eggs, and almond flour. Here is how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 125 g of soft butter
• 125 g of powdered sugar
• 3 eggs
• 125 g of almond flour
• 25 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• Vanilla essence or a vanilla pod
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 roll of ready-made shortcrust pastry (or you can make it yourself with 300g of flour, 150g of butter, 150g of sugar, 1 egg, a pinch of salt)
• Powdered sugar for decoration (optional)

Preparation

1. If you prepare the shortcrust pastry, start with that: work the butter with the sugar until creamy, add the egg and salt, and finally incorporate the flour. Work until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, shape into a ball, wrap with cling film, and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then, roll out the dough into a thin layer and use it to line a previously buttered and floured cake tin.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
3. In a bowl, whip the soft butter with powdered sugar until it becomes light and fluffy.
4. Add the almond flour, eggs one at a time, flour, salt, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
5. Pour the frangipane filling over the shortcrust pastry base.
6. Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the surface of the frangipane tart appears golden and the filling is firm to the touch.
7. Allow to cool completely before removing the tart from the tin. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Trivia

The frangipane tart takes its name from the cream that characterizes it, presumably inspired by the Frangipani family, an ancient Roman house known for creating a perfume with almond essence used in the production of leather gloves. The frangipane cream became popular for its rich and delicate flavor, becoming a signature element of French pastry and subsequently international.